A life-sized LEGO suffragette is coming to Manchester on Emmeline Pankhurst’s birthday

Written by Dianne Bourne
Last updated 5 years ago
City of Manchester, Exhibitions, Family & Kids, Museums, People

This brilliant life-sized statue of a suffragette made entirely from LEGO is to go on display in Manchester – just in time to mark the birthday of Emmeline Pankhurst.

Standing 1.7 metres high, Hope is made from 32,327 bricks and was created by the UK Parliament in 2018 to mark 100 years since the first women won the right to vote in Britain.

But from Monday 15th July – 161 years since the birth of the founder of the suffragette movement Mrs Pankhurst – the statue will go on display here in Manchester at the People’s History Museum.

It forms part of a colourful and creative takeover by life-size sculptures at the museum that represent heroes of protest, on display for the whole summer.

During her stay, Hope will reside in the recreated kitchen of fellow suffragette, Hannah Mitchell. Found on the main galleries, where the Votes for Women story is told, this is the ideal setting for visitors to pose with Hope for suffragette selfies.

It marks the start of a summer programme of family friendly activities taking place at the national museum of democracy that explore the past, present and future of protest.

From Saturday 25th July there will be a host of spectacular life-sized sculptures by artist Jason Wilsher-Mills.

Brave Boy Billy, The Corby Rocker and The Corby PiP Princess each invite interaction through their bright and fun designs, with augmented reality technology enabling people to discover some of the serious disability issues that they represent.

Jason Wilsher-Mills has taken inspiration from his Greek namesake for the title of the exhibition, Jason & the Argonauts, with his heroes being the people he has met and worked with in disabled communities around the country.

Each sculpture offers visitors a different interactive experience, which will unlock animations, text, music and audio.

Hope and Jason Wilsher-Mills’ sculptures are part of People’s History Museum’s summer activities and will be on display until early September.

People’s History Museum is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm. The museum and exhibitions are free to enter with a suggested donation of £5.

Did we miss something? Let us know: [email protected]

Want to be the first to receive all the latest news stories, what’s on and events from the heart of Manchester? Sign up here.

For the love of Manchester...

Manchester is a successful city, but there are many people that suffer. The I Love MCR Foundation helps raise vital funds to help improve the lives and prospects of people and communities across Greater Manchester – and we can’t do it without your help. So please donate or fundraise what you can because investing in your local community to help it thrive can be a massively rewarding experience. Thank you in advance!